Why does the Panama Canal have canal locks while the Suez Canal doesn’t have any?
In: 2370
While the terrain other posters mention is the main reason, there’s another significant factor – direction. The Panama Canal connects two bodies of water that are East and West of each other, while the Suez connects two bodies of water that are north and south of each other.
The worlds tides are caused by a “bulge” in the water levels around the world. The moon’s gravity pulls on the water making the water into an oval around the planet. Picture a balloon that you are squeezing just a little bit – it’s a little smaller where your fingers are, and a little bigger on the sides. This oval rotates around the planet with the moon causing water levels to rise and fall at all longitudes at the same time (approximately- there is a lot of variation due to land shape, but this is ELI5).
Because the Suez connects two seas that are north and south of each other, their tides are similar enough that the water doesn’t try and rush through the canal every few hours, where as the Panama would be a be a white water rafting river if the elevation change and locks didn’t prevent significant water movement.
Latest Answers